Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Defy and Comply ❯ Lesson 15: The Dark Shade of Jealousy ( Chapter 15 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: MellyN

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Defy and Comply

Lesson 15: The Dark Shade of Jealousy

By: Revamp

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Lamar walked around the swimming pool outside of the gym. The smell of water, doused with chlorine and cool, gentle breeze wafted through his senses. Glancing around, he saw a few people taking a long swim. A pair was playing with a bright red and yellow beach ball, batting it back and forth while a couple of guys sun bathed and a girl in a green bikini talked on her cell phone at one of the white, iron-cast tables.

Leo held up a hypodermic needle and sighed to himself. 'I can't believe its still here. At least I have it...but damn, I don't know how I'm gonna quit this or what I'll do when I'm offa it. Shit, this is bad.'

Just then, he ran into something that felt like a brick wall. The force of the contact was so hard he nearly stabbed himself with the needle. Out of shock and reflex, the green-haired man threw his arms up, releasing the needle as it sailed over his shoulder.

"Oh fuck! I'm sorry!" Lamar shouted awkward before he realized who he had run into. 'Eh...Taiga...'

"Are you wigging out on me already? You definitely act like you've been tripping on the good shit." That was all the yakuza needed, for his friend to be having some sort of weird withdrawals.

"I-I found the needle...but you scared the hell outta me and I threw it on accident." Now he just felt stupid. He should have watched where he was going. For all Lamar knew he could have easily walked right into the pool, he was concentrating so hard on the needle.

Taiga walked behind the leather-clad male and retrieved the needle, shoving it into the pocket of his black jacket. It was better if he held it, since Lamar was throwing it around like a javelin.

"Don't stab yourself on accident," Lamar warned. The needle still had traces of nutmeg in it. Taiga would have made a fatal mistake if it accidentally got into his blood stream.

The yakuza said nothing and walked over to one of the nearby waste bins, pitching it inside as Lamar's face lit up with shock.

"That was evidence." Was he out of his mind? If a trial was to come of this situation, then it was be crucial to have in order to convict someone. Throwing it away was just asinine.

"I'm not into giving you an excuse," Taiga wasn't stupid. Evidence or not he wasn't going to let his friend slip back into his habits.

"Hey, I wouldn't use a dirty needle that had poison in it-" Lamar was cut off.

"You'd try it," Taiga firmly believed if he got desperate he'd find a way to clean it out and use it.

"No...I mean...I...I want to save them," Lamar didn't want to make another wrong conviction and if that was the evidence that made the decision between being accused and being innocent, he wanted to be the one to save their life.

"How's your face?" The yakuza decided to change the subject. He didn't feel like getting into another pointless argument.

"It hurts and you jammed my piercing into my gums. I should have lied to ya though. That was pretty shitty of me," Lamar felt horrible, not just physically but mentally. He broke an area of trust with Taiga, someone who had been his friend since he was young. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt him, and there was no way he could take it back.

Taiga looked a little conflicted. His eyebrows knitted and his eyes closed. Disgust welled up in the pit of his stomach, and his muscles tightened. Gritting his teeth in a frown, the yakuza lowered his head and shoved the words out of his mouth forcefully, "I'm sorry."

Lamar was taken aback that he'd apologize. Taiga never apologized for punching anyone's lights out. He'd always told him that if he punched someone, they deserved it for pissing him off. "What?"

"I lost my temper and I hit you. I didn't mean to take it that far. Don't get me wrong, you deserved to be punched out but not like that." Placing both hands on either side of the other man's face, Taiga opened his eyes and examined his features. "Let me see. It doesn't look too bad."

After a moment of silence, and gazing into those cryptic aqua eyes, Lamar finally spoke up. "I'll quit doin' drugs. I won't ever smoke pot. I want you to help me. I'm sorry for lyin' to ya. It just seems like ya have a lot to worry about and Yuunatsu died. Shit's gettin' deep."

"You fool; not telling me is just as bad as lying to me. I told you to tell me no matter how it makes me feel. I'd rather be hurt with a truth than blinded by a lie and hurt ten times worse," Lamar promised him that he wouldn't lie, and Taiga took his word for it.

Lamar closed his eyes and hung his head, ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry, man," he apologized again. He could have never apologized enough.

"I...also can't say I've been completely honest either." Closing his eyes, the words were forced out again. The yakuza knew if he was going to preach about being honest, then he should be honest as well.

Lamar frowned, "you hypocrite."

"Let's go to the graveyard. I want to talk to you about something." It was time to get his secrets out. Time to expose all of the skeletons he had festering in his closet. No matter how much it would hurt, Taiga wanted to let it be known. He didn't want to make the same mistakes as his brother.

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In the graveyard, the two stood by the tombstone with Lamar's name scrawled onto it. The green-haired guitar played stood on one side with his hands shoved into his pockets and Taiga stood on the other. They stared at each other for a few moments as the constant ventilation lightly toyed with their clothes.

"We're here. What did ya wanna say?" Lamar decided to start off the conversation.

"This is about Raiga's death. I should tell you the truth." There were things that he knew that should have been brought to light, no matter how painful they were to him. Lamar had the right to know the truth.

"But, I'm the one who killed him." What did he mean he had something to tell him about his brother's death? They were both present when it happened. Lamar didn't understand.

"I knew things. I still know things. I feel these are things he wanted you to know. I should have told you after he died, but I got my reasons for not doing it." That familiar feeling of disgust welled up in his stomach at such a rate that it made him feel like vomiting. It was so tense that the air felt hot and thick, hard to breathe in. Taiga couldn't have damned himself more than what he did at this moment.

Lamar arched an eyebrow. "Tell me what's up." Obviously it looked as if the yakuza was struggling with telling him. He half way expect Taiga to spontaneously combust, and anyone who didn't know him would just take it as livid anger.

"You and Raiga were best friends, at least that's what you claimed but I knew better than that shit," Taiga admitted, closing his eyes with a hiss as he clenched his teeth again. This was a lot harder than it seemed.

"Y-Ya knew how I felt back then?" A few beads of sweat welled up through the pores of Lamar's face. Was it really that obvious that he had feelings for the older Daifumi? Back then he was just a confused boy who was trying to find his sexuality and learn more about himself. Besides the occasional wild party that was unconnected from school, he hadn't had any other gay experiences.

Taiga nodded and held up a fist, trying to quell the torrent of anxiety that churned sickening in his stomach. "Why didn't you tell him?"

"Man, I couldn't. I mean, it's complicated. I wanted to tell him at first but he was the first guy I was ever into. I thought maybe it was a phase so I wanted to tell him when I was sure and I was under contract, man. I couldn't be exclusive even when I figured out what my sexuality was. Even when I figured it out, we were killin' people. I couldn't tell him, knowing I could die. That would be fucked up," Lamar didn't want to be hurt, and he was sure that Raiga didn't as well. There were simply too many unknowns to really delve deeper into it than he already was with the other male. That and Lamar was afraid of screwing up a friendship.

"That's where your excuses got you," Taiga said bitterly.

Lamar felt the inward stab from that assault. A heavy weight felt as if it just smashed his heart into a million pieces. "I feel bad enough, man. I really loved that guy. I actually loved him. He was the first guy I ever felt anything about, enough to be curious."

Taiga opened his eyes, averting them. "He was?" Suddenly, he felt like a midget, quaking in the shadows of someone far more superior.

"Yeah, I dated nothin' but women before I liked him." Sure, there were the one-night stands and brief contact with exceptions, but Lamar had only been exclusive to committed relationships with women before Raiga had come along.

"You're both fucking retarded," Taiga spat.

"Huh? Why?"

"He had feelings for you," Taiga's fist shook as he continued to revert back to bearing his teeth and closing his eyes. At this point, his body felt like it was composed of jello. "There, said it. He loved well...he thought he loved you but, he didn't wanna freak you out or move too fast. Dunno what your 'moving too fast' even was. You probably fucked a lot or it sounded like it half of the time," he wasn't stupid. He heard the noises. They definitely had done something before.

"You knew we did stuff?" That was embarrassing. Lamar could only guess where his imagination had led him with their escapades.

"My room was next to his, you inconsiderate asshole!" And yet, it hurt him far more to think about the fact that such things were happening. He hated it, but at the same time, Taiga felt so guilty that he resented his brother's happiness.

"We didn't have sex. We just made out and it was only a couple of times. I actually wished we did have sex. I might have liked it but I'll never know now." It was only a far-off dream that would never come true. Lamar thought about what might have been a lot, but he mostly kept the thoughts to himself. It depressed him to know what he could have had and the fact that Taiga was reprimanding him made it worse.

"You two fucked up your own relationship by cock blocking yourselves. Fucking amazing," Taiga sighed to himself in annoyance.

"I...never knew he felt that way..." Lamar looked outwardly hurt by it. In fact, he felt like an asshole and he wanted to cry. This hurt more than nearly dying in a failed execution in his last graduation.

"Do you regret telling him?" Taiga's voice lowered.

"Yes and no, knowing what I did, I wanted to but at the same time, isn't that cruel? Hey man, I love ya but you're dyin' and we both can't have what we want. It's not romantic, dyin' in someone's arms. It's painful." It was a storybook ending that he never wanted in a relationship. Just thinking about Raiga's final moments tore him up. There wasn't a moment that Lamar didn't replay it over and over again, a scarring flashback that ground on his deteriorating psyche.

"You're the first one I ever heard say that. Usually people want that kind of thing," Taiga could remember as long as he'd been in the presence of students, the countless times such a thing was brought up.

If you could die, and you had a choice what would it be? Would you rather die alone or with someone?

Most people wanted to die with someone or in someone's arms. They found it romantic to die while their lover grieved, showing them the last bit of love and compassion they possessed before the other faded out of this world.

"Usually, people who want that never knew how painful it actually was," Lamar said as that final moment he faced off with Raiga played through his head. Vivid sensations assaulted his body as his final memory of the former yakuza leader began to play like a motion picture.

Lamar thrusted his fencing sword forward. His opponent, who was taller than Taiga with a pompadour of jet black with spikes on top that turned upward. Adrenaline rushed through him as he felt his sword make contact, piercing the white of his exposed undershirt. Blood seeped to the surface, staining the yakuza's clothing but he felt nothing enter him. There was no pop, no sudden sensation of pain. His blue eyes widened and trailed to the blade, which was stuck up over his shoulder.

Raiga had missed on purpose. He had set him up so he could graduate. Raiga had given him freedom out of a hopeless situation.

As Raiga lay on the ground, Lamar held the bleeding man close to him as tears ran down his face. Throwing his head back as his body shook in a mix of emotions, he called out the yakuza's name in a tone of unbearable anguish that ripped through the dead air of Shinjinku Academy.

"If I could pick my death, I'd die alone. The same way I came into this world. I won't wanna see people hurting as the last thing I see before I die. I wanna see them happy. I wanna know they could move on and remember the good things about me. I wanna know I brought people joy and not sorrow. I've done enough of that. I've seen enough people who hurt because of me." It came with the job, but at the same time Taiga couldn't help but be affected by it. Even if people knew the risks, he still shared a bond with them and to see them hurt because of a mistake he had made was like ripping his heart out and stomping on it.

"Why didn't ya tell me back that that Raiga had feelings for me?" Taiga knew all along, but held it in knowing that he would have saved them a world full of hate. Lamar didn't understand why he didn't want them to be happy.

"Because, I'm a selfish prick," Taiga spat, disgusted with himself enough to have it reflect in his speech.

"Ya shouldn't say that," Lamar tried to chide him.

"I'm not saying it for pity; I'm saying it because I am," Taiga snapped, it was almost as if he was hell bent on keeping those feelings of hatred for himself.

"Ya mean, you hid it from me on purpose? Why would ya do that?" Lamar looked hurt, and he was. He feel like the yakuza completely betrayed him. They were supposed to be best friends and yet, he purposely kept him from someone he loved. Why? Why would Taiga want to hurt him like that?

Taiga screwed his eyes shut and said nothing. He couldn't even look at Lamar right now, and he silently wished the overwhelming anxiety he felt would cause him to faint. It was silent for a moment, then he opened his eyes and looked as if he wanted to say something, but was forcing himself not to.

"Why're ya lookin' at me like that?" Lamar felt awkward and he was still wondering why Taiga had acted this way. It was like the man he knew was comprised of a structure based on lies.

"I did it because..." Taiga trailed off. He couldn't say it. It made him sound twice as bad as he was.

"Because?" Lamar pressed.

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, the yakuza caved in to defeat. "I have feelings for you, too."

Lamar blinked a couple of times in disbelief. "Did I just hear you right?"

Taiga couldn't have looked more pissed at himself then he was in that moment, and yet he couldn't hold anything back. "Yes, okay?" He barked, before his voice trailed off into something more docile, almost sad in tone. "I...I liked you a lot back then, and even more now. I'm trash for that. I know how Raiga felt. I coulda said it but I couldn't bear seeing you two together. I was jealous. I was the jealous little brother and I wanted what I couldn't have. I was too proud to admit it. Too proud to say I was just like him, that I could love another man. It's not like you noticed. Your head was shoved so far up his ass it was all you could see and I let you. I didn't stand in your way because it wasn't about me and what made me happy. It was about you. You were happy with him, so I set you free. I loved you both, so I wanted the best for the both of you and if that was to be with each other, then so be it."

Lamar was shocked. Taiga had been in so much pain all of this time and he kept it bottled up inside. The guilt on his shoulders must have been immense and in that moment, the green-haired man wanted to do something to chide his pain. "If led ya on back then or I ever made ya think anything, then I'm really sorry."

The apology shocked Taiga. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open for a moment in disbelief. His voice held a normal, calm tone with a depressed infliction. "It wasn't you. I tried to hold it in but I can't anymore. I feel like shit." Tears flowed down his cheeks and he closed his eyes. Taiga couldn't bear to have Lamar looking at him like that. "I can't keep lying to you or myself. I've cared about you a lot, when you saved my life after I snuck into Shinjinku to play a prank on my brother and I got sucked into the first killing spree. When it was just the two of us left. I thought I was a goner. I thought you'd kill me, but you found a way around it. You kept those other guy from killing me. You probably think I'm a stupid kid and maybe in some ways I am but I try. The truth is, I love you."

Lamar looked shocked. He had no idea that Taiga felt quite that way about him. "Taiga..."

Taiga put his head down, "I can understand if you don't. I fucked everything up. I regret it. I'm so sorry. It wasn't Raiga who hurt you, it was me. I could have helped you two get together. It would have worked but I-"

Lamar cut him off. "Don't do this, man. You're killin' me," the green-haired man clenched his fists at his sides. He felt like someone had reached inside of his chest, tearing out his heart and squeezing it as hard as they could in their hands. Pain resonated through his body, an emotional hurt so prominent that it affected him physically.

"Tell me the truth. Just reject me already." It was better if he did. Taiga wanted all of this to end. He knew Lamar would hate him, knowing that he was able to make him happy but kept him miserable and uncertain for his own selfish endeavors.

However, Lamar just wrapped his arms around the other man, hugging his muscular body tightly. Taiga's face lit up with shock as he felt something jolt through him, like an arrow piercing his flesh. Why? Why didn't he hate him?

"Wha...Le-" A finger was placed to the yakuza's lips. Then, finger tips brushed across his face, wiping his tears away.

"Thank you for telling me the truth," Lamar said in a low tone as Taiga placed his hands on the other's shoulders, lacing them between the studs and spikes that stuck up from his jacket. "I can't tell ya how I feel. I'm in a predicament knowin' this. I'll always love ya as a friend, Taiga."

"Even if you'd do things with me only to think of him, I would-" Lamar's bony finger silenced his lips again.

"I want to do things with Taiga, not Raiga. I like you for you, not for whose blood you share. You're pretty cute on your own," Lamar smiled his usual, toothy grin. It was no lie, Lamar found Taiga very attractive and the fact that he cared so much about everything, the fact that he told him the truth regardless made him happy as much as it did wreck him emotionally. It was something that needed to be said. It was something that brought closure to his past.

"You're joking," Taiga's voice was husky with disbelief.

"I don't joke if I call ya attractive," Lamar closed one eye and looked at him accusingly.

"We don't have to be together-"

Lamar cut him off again, trying to chide his wayward emotions. "Don't think so much into it. I'm not saying no. I'm saying give me some time to see how a few things go."

"Are you with someone?" Maybe that was the reason he was acting like that. Taiga was grasping for straws at this moment in time.

"No, are you?"

The yakuza nearly laughed, "Yeah right."

"I wanna...give you something," Lamar finally made a request, only to be met with a critical glare.

"I'm skeptical."

"It's nothin' bad."

"Damn."

"You fricker, stop implyin' shit," Lamar's cheeks seared with a red tint.

"Fine, I'll let yo-" Before he could get anything else out, he felt lips on his own. There was nothing shy about Lamar's kiss. It crashed into him like a tidal wave, not giving him any time to think as it quickly progressed. The yakuza could feel the ball of his tongue piercing between his lips as he coaxed his mouth open. Aqua eyes fluttered shut and he opened his mouth. Their tongues jutted into the out of each other's mouths, swirling around each other as the two struggled to be the dominant one in the kiss.

Taiga's hands ran over the other male's chest, dipping into his jacket and running over his pierced nipples in a teasing way before they trailed back out and squeezed his shoulders, disregarding the pricks from the spikes. His head spun and he couldn't keep back a small moan that escaped his lips. The two pulled back, a small stream of saliva broke between their lips. The yakuza was flushed and half-lidded. He panted as a stream of their mixed saliva trailed down the corner of his mouth. He could feel Lamar's warm breath hitting his face as he tried to pull out of his haze.

"What...the hell...are you..."

"You're not sad anymore," Lamar panted out, his voice sounded provocative and lusty.

"I've never been kissed like that before. Holy shit, you're good." It wasn't as if Taiga had many girlfriends, but no woman had given him something that passionate before. His head was still spinning.

"You're pretty good yourself. I could get used to you." Those words teased him, but at the same time, Taiga didn't mind it.

"Feel free all you want. I'm here," he practically begged his friend for another kiss. Friend...was that something they were now? They had crossed the line beyond friendship and turned their relationship into more of a beneficiary thing.

"Remember," Lamar winked, "we room together but for now, I wanna think about things."

"Of course, I'll let you." Even if he rejected him in the end, Taiga valued Lamar's friendship over everything. He wanted him to be happy, and now that he knew how he felt, things would hopefully be better between the two of them.

"I gotta go meet up with Sunoma today and I'm a little late. I'll tell her I made out with my hot boyfriend, Taiga," he smiled playfully at his friend, who's expression lit up like wildfire.

Panic raced through Taiga's being and he felt his heart slamming against his chest so hard that each thump resonated with dull pain. His blush spread, remembering what the two had done. "No! Don't tell her that!" He blurted out awkwardly, so much so that his embarrassment came off as anger.

"Why?" Lamar arched an eye brow.

The yakuza put a hand behind his head and averted his eyes. "Some shit happened and we...kinda made out."

That was shocking, considering Sunoma viewed people like the two of them as beneath her. What the hell even happened to make that come about? "Wait...what?" Lamar was still trying to comprehend that.

"Man, fuck you. I was upset. I saw Raiga's death on a video clip that was on the school's computer. I got emotional over it and I told her to stay with me and well...shit happened." This was embarrassing. Why did he even mention that? Oh yeah, because Taiga said he'd be honest.

"I'm...speechless. No, ya don't understand she told me how much she hated me and how much of a horrible piece of shit I was and...just wow. What the fuck?" It didn't make any sense for her to hate him for doing drugs, but go and make out with a member of the Japanese mafia, who probably sold more drugs than he'd ever taken and committed far worse crimes. It seemed like Sunoma just hated him in general.

"I didn't think she'd touch me, either." It was equally shocking to him. He knew how Lamar felt.

"You're a lucky man," Lamar patted him on the shoulder. Anyone who Sunoma liked was lucky in his opinion. She was really high maintenance.

"We're just friends. I doubt it'll happen again." Now that Taiga had a taste of what his childhood crush could offer, he wasn't interested much. He had feelings for Sunoma, but they were just those of close friendship and thinking she was attractive.

"To be fair, I had a fling with Kiyomaru," Lamar figured that since they were talking about their sexual deeds of the past that he would bring his up. Hopefully Taiga would understand why their situation was complicated.

"What?" Lamar couldn't tell if Taiga sounded pissed off or like someone shot him through the heart.

"It's sorta my predicament. I think he kinda likes me now." Until Lamar could talk to the blue-haired boy again, he didn't want to involve Taiga. He wasn't looking to hurt the yakuza. Taiga was more precious to him than anyone and he had already hurt him in the past. He didn't want to screw things up again.

"What did you do?" Taiga's question was ice cold, and Lamar knew that he was already angry.

Lamar closed his eyes, his voice lowered. "Not gonna lie, we had sex."

"What?! You did WHAT?!" Taiga roared out, livid once more.

"I know. I fucked up," Lamar found himself caught between the two. He knew Kiyomaru loved him, or at least had a crush on him. He liked Kiyomaru and enjoyed their time together, but when he looked at Taiga he felt horrible about it. After he felt horrible about it, the green-haired man felt bad that Kiyomaru would probably be hurt by the fact that he felt bad about their moment of comfort. Lamar wanted to hurl.

"You- I just- I can't-" Taiga sputtered with anger and outrage. Even if he did something with Sunoma, he didn't have sex with her.

"Taiga..."

"Fucking great! I hope you two are real happy together!" The yakuza shook with pain and anger. His pupils were the size of pin pricks and his teeth were bore like a livid dog. He wanted to beat the hell out of Lamar, but kept himself from doing so by the thin thread of logic that held him together.

"I don't...know how I feel. He's a good friend," Lamar was conflicted. He didn't want to hurt Kiyomaru but he was hurting Taiga yet again, right after he promised not to screw up anymore.

"Stop saying you love people and keep your shit in your pants," Taiga's fist shook.

"I've only slept with him since Raiga died. I didn't know you felt this way." There was no way that he could have predicted any of this, and Lamar felt helpless against the backlash.

"Get the hell away from me!" Taiga shouted. He didn't want to see Lamar right now. He was certain that if the pierced man stayed around he was going to physically destroy him.

Lamar hung his head in shame. "Okay, I'll go. We're still friends, right?" At this point in time, the thing he was most afraid of was the fact that Taiga could hate him. The yakuza having any feelings of malice toward him upset him. To know that Taiga could probably hate him over this made him sick with grief. Lamar didn't want to lose his best friend.

"I don't know," Taiga growled. "Just get out."

That was the last time he was going to warn him.

Lamar took his advice and walked out without a word more. His heart sunk heavily as his form disappeared into the distance.

There was no greater idiot in the world than him.

XxXxXxXx

Lamar had finally managed to run into Sunoma after he walked along past the cafe. The lolita was sitting outside in one of the decorative chairs, sipping on a cup of tea. The girl was by herself, clad in a slate blue lolita dress with long, wizard sleeves and a round, low laying neckline bordered with white lace. She was a simple, black corset and under her rows of pristine, white lace were black, thigh-high socks and black mary janes. On the back of her head was a large, slate blue bow and her fingernails were painted a dark blue. Sunoma wore just a hint of light blue eye shadow that really made her ghostly blue eyes pop out.

Glancing up from her tea, the lolita saw the leather-clad man approach, the sound of each footprint echoed in her mind as his belts jingled. "Where have you been? You're seventeen minutes late."

"I had a fight with someone," Lamar looked disgruntled. He hoped Sunoma wouldn't ask him about the details. He didn't really feel like telling her.

"You look ill. Are you alright?" Lamar was ghostly in coloration. He almost looked like a paper doll dressed in leather. Sunoma was a little concerned.

"No, I wanna hurl and I'm pissed and upset," the green-haired man really wasn't in the mood for a discussion about how much of a failure he was.

"Anything I can help with?" Sunoma cocked her head. If Lamar was upset, the most she could do to make it up to him would be to help him with his problems.

"No," Lamar didn't need anyone's help and even if she could, it wasn't anything anyone could do but himself.

"I heard Tsukimi was poisoned. I think I may know who did it." Sunoma decided that a subject change was probably for the best. The air was beginning to stale around the two of them and she didn't want any more bad blood than what she already had with Lamar.

"Who?"

"I think Yuunatsu did it." In fact, she was almost certain that he did.

"Then who killed Yuunatsu? Besides, Taiga swears he didn't do it and that Tsukimi killed him somehow," Lamar took a seat in the opposing chair, sitting on the very edge as he shifted his long legs under the table.

"I don't believe she would," Sunoma took a sip of tea. "She has no motive that I am aware of."

"I wouldn't say that. There are a few things I can think of." It wasn't that Lamar didn't want to believe that she did it, but he had to look at this as if it a situation like those in graduation. As if it was a real trial. There was more on the line than just a friendly debate. They were playing with lives.

Setting her tea cup down, Sunoma leaned in. "Do tell. I want to avoid this coming to a bad head if I can."

"Me too, because it'll be my ass if I don't." Since Taiga threw away the evidence, it was a hindrance to him. Then again, if he was caught with the needle, he could be convicted.

"How so?"

"I'll explain from the beginning."

XxXxXxXx

Tsukimi slowly cracked her eyes open, the feeling of foggy sleep slowly faded from her senses. Her vision came into focus as blurred lines were given clarity. Slowly, she pulled herself up into a sitting position and for some reason; Tsukimi's body felt as if she were trying to move a led weight. Her head still tingled and her shoulder's burning pain was reduced to a dull one. bi-colored eyes glanced to her right and saw that Kazoo was sitting in a chair at her bedside, gazing at the girl with beady, blue eyes. It just then that she realized she was back in her own room.

"Hey, you're finally up," Kazoo smiled, showing off his shark-like teeth.

"Yeah, I feel better now. Thank you for saving my life Iefumi-san," the girl slid over to the side of her bed, the mattress creaked with her movement as she hung her feet over the side and gave the graduate a small smile.

"Just call me Kazoo," really there was no need for formalities. No one had ever used them i the past so there was no point in starting.

"Kazoo it is. Tell me, Kazoo why did you come back here?" Tsukimi didn't understand why someone who nearly died would stay in the school; much less not leave when they were given the chance after being locked inside for all of that time.

"I used to be a student here. I was a master architect and engineer. I even helped design the school." It might not have been much, but Kazoo knew the floor plans and layout of the building better than anyone else.

"Wow! Then you can help us out a lot!" Tsukimi's face lit up as she slammed her fist into her hand. This was great news! Maybe Kazoo even knew there the mastermind would be.

"I plan on it," Kazoo beamed before his expression morphed into a serious one, "but I have other reasons for being here."

"For what?" Tsukimi cocked her head.

"This whole year I've been training in secret to be an assassin. I've developed weapons to use as well. I completely changed my life around after I almost died. I'm making sure it doesn't happen again. I lost so many people, including my girlfriend," she was always on his mind, more so than the deaths of his classmates. Kazoo wanted to make sure that her death was not for nothing. He had promised her that.

"Your girlfriend? Did she get killed in graduation?" Tsukimi knew that was a stupid question after she said it.

"Yes, I was going to marry her. I planned on proposing to her but she was killed in front of my eyes. The person I've been with for four years was ripped away from me. She never deserved that and I'm going to make sure to kill whoever did this shit. I'm not here to fuck around," Kazoo clenched his fist, livid with anger. Every time he thought about it, the situation made his blood boil.

"What was she like, your girlfriend?" Tsukimi decided to get him off of the grim side of that subject and do something a little more positive, like tell her about the girl's nice attributes. She was sure that she was inducted into Shinjinku for some reason.

"She was amazing. Her name was Izayoi Ichibana-" Kazoo was cut off mid-explanation.

Tsukimi's visage lit up with disbelief. "The Izayoi Ichibana? The idol with tattoos? She was my idol! She really broke the mold for the idol image. I always thought to be an idol you had to be girly and lacy. I never thought someone like me could shine in the spotlight. I mean, I'm gothic and I have streaks in my hair and piercings but then I saw her perform on television and I thought 'hey, this girl has so many tattoos and streaks in her hair like me. Maybe I can be famous, too?' I can play bass guitar really well, so I aspired to be like Izayoi. You're so lucky to have been in her presence. I heard she was really nice, too."

Izayoi was literally Tsukimi's hero. She had remembered watching all of her performances, buying all of her CDs and any other memorabilia that the idol was featured in. To know that someone was actually able to date her or be around her on a daily basis was enlightening and interesting. Kazoo must have been really special to have been the boyfriend of a popular idol like her. She could only imagine what kind of things they talked about, the places they went and the cool adventures they had.

"She was a sweet heart. Really spunky and helpful and man that girl could break dance. She and I kept having competitions in our spare time. Fun times. Yeah, that's how I want to remember her, smiling and laughing," Izayoi was a subject that always made him smile. Talking about her eased his soul and gave him a sense of solace. Kazoo could have gone on all day about that girl, but he decided to just give a short summary since Tsukimi would have probably gotten bored with his rambling.

"You're sweet. Not like my ex-boyfriend," Tsukimi put her hands on her hips, closing her eyes with a stern frown. Just thinking about what Zoen did brought back all of those feelings of betrayal she had felt. The pain resonated through her chest and her frown became deeper. "Our relationship was strange. Now that I look at it, we weren't like other couples."

"What do you mean?" Kazoo was sort of interested. How were you not like another couple? Weren't all couples different? He didn't get it.

Opening her eyes, the girl turned her sights to Kazoo and began to explain. "When I asked him out, we went on dates and stuff and he was really nice but really stoic and touch-me-not. We held hands and hugged but we never kissed or anything. I thought maybe it was just who he was. He said he believed in sex after marriage and stuff. I was okay with that but still, I felt like I was missing something. I bet you and Izayoi had a normal relationship."

"We were pretty active. A virgin I definitely am not." It was actually a little surprising that Tsukimi and Zoen had such an old-fashioned way of doing things. He never would have guessed it from a gang leader.

"I am such a dumb potato. I've never even been kissed by a guy. How lame. I'll probably die a virgin," Tsukimi admitted sheepishly as she sighed dramatically.

"A pretty girl like you...is a virgin? Man, I thought you would have done it with someone. You're gorgeous," Kazoo was pretty amazing that Tsukimi had never so much as kissed another guy. He couldn't understand why, either since she was very pretty. He had to admit that he had a thing for girls who were punk or had that punk look. Tsukimi was petite and slender with really cool eyes, a flawless, white complexion and tresses of striped hair. He couldn't help but think of her as attractive.

"G-Gorgeous? Me? I am not Izayoi." Who was he trying to kid? Tsukimi blushed and held a hand up to her mouth. She wasn't even pretty in her own opinion. She wasn't curvy at all and she had small breasts, awkwardly long legs and arms and she looked very Asian. There was nothing even remotely gorgeous about that.

"You don't have to be." Why did she feel the need to compare the two of them? He certainly wasn't.

"You're really flattering. I'm not used to it," Tsukimi stared down at her knees, covered by her fish net stockings. The fact that a guy was telling her that she was beautiful felt surreal. They had only just met and he was giving her compliments. It was a little overwhelming.

"No, really. I'd kiss you-" Kazoo cut himself off. Why the hell did he say something like that? A blush adorned his cheeks. "Well...I..."

"I don't really know how to kiss but..." Tsukimi stammered, toying with the rings on the ends of her fingernails. Then her voice lowered shyly. "I'd let you teach me."

"You would? But it's your first kiss." Wouldn't she have wanted it to be with someone she actually loved?

"I would give it to the man who saved my life," she owed him that much. Tsukimi was certain that she would have died if not for Kazoo's quick thinking.

"My heart is racing," he flushed even more. Kazoo felt each thump as his organ assaulted his chest, threatening to burst through it at any given moment.

"I'm a little nervous," Tsukimi's voice trembled as her cheeks reddened. She still fiddled with the rings on the ends of her nails as she felt her breathing escalate. She couldn't believe it! She was going to get kissed by the guy who dated her idol, and on top of that, he was cute.

Kazoo placed his hands on the sides of the girl's face drawing in to her. "I'll go slow. No regrets?" His voice was calm and smooth, and in many ways it calmed the rapid beating of her heart.

"Never," Tsukimi shook her head, closing her eyes. "I trust you."

Their lips met in a gentle kiss. Kazoo went slow with simple pecks and pressing their lips together. He didn't want to scare Tsukimi by trying to stick his tongue down her throat or anything. After a few moments of simply feeling the sensation, Tsukimi kissed him back, then the two pulled apart.

"It's been a while since I've felt like that," Kazoo said as he stared into those red and yellow eyes.

"I...I really want you to kiss me again." There was something about it that Tsukimi wanted. Something about it that couldn't get enough of. Her stomach felt as if someone released a thousand butterflies into it and they were all fluttering around, hitting the lining in a desperate attempt to free themselves from their confines.

They drew back in, their lips locked again but this time the kiss was much different. It was slow and deep, and it turned into a French Kiss. Each person was driven by their emotions, by the loneliness and depression they had faced in life. Each one longed for the touch of another, for someone to take their sorrow away and in that moment, they were allowed to do so. Tongues danced and hands began to trail over each other's bodies.

Just then, Kazoo pulled away, his cheeks tinted in blush as he breathed heavily. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be. I like you," Tsukimi tried to catch her breath. A feeling of drunken lust overcame her as she tasted the last remnants of their kiss in her mouth.

"We have only known each other for a couple of days," Kazoo replied. Talk about moving fast.

"I believe that's enough to be friends. You saved me and you don't even know me. No one's ever done that. I would give you my virginity in every way and I still don't feel that would be enough," Tsukimi didn't know what she was saying, but at the same time she wanted it. The girl wanted to give herself to this man and now that they had kissed, she felt the attraction all the more.

"I guess we are lonely," Kazoo knew that was where it came from. He knew that being without Izayoi or human contact for nearly two years had made him crave the affection of someone.

"I can't explain it, but it's not loneliness. I like you. I want to get to know you and I think you're amazing. You're nice and multi-talented. You must be a genius," Kazoo knew about the school and he knew medical things. No wonder he was in such a high-honored school like Shinjinku. Someone like him deserved to be there.

"I am but I don't like saying it," Kazoo felt egotistical throwing around the fact that he was secretly a huge nerd who did nothing but hold fascination to the structure and operation of things.

"You should never be ashamed of being you," Tsukimi's gentle words reached his ears, which caused him to blush yet again and utter her name in a tender tone. Looking straight into his eyes, the girl held his hand and leveled him with a visage of love and determination. "Let's get out of here, just you and me."

...To Be Continued